Power and Pedophilia: The Loud Silence

The Saville revelations at the BBC lifted the lid on a prevalent culture of child abuse within one of the most respected institutions in the world. Saville managed to sidestep allegations for years while he was alive, but who were the ones who made sure his sordid secret activities remained secret.

Most ordinary people caught committing similar crimes would have ended up on the sex offenders register, losing their jobs and their families in the process. But powerful and well-connected pedophiles don't seem to suffer the same fate, and although our loud shouting, our finger pointing and the lynch mobs may absolve our collective guilt, will anything really be done to change this culture of silence? Does anyone really want to look beneath the surface?

The conspiratorial silence that has been going on for years regarding pedophilia does not end at the BBC, and includes other public institutions like the government, education, child services, the police and members of the judiciary and Church. These institutions provide perfect environments for concealing crime and fraud indefinitely, because there's a culture where career survival depends on everyone looking after each other’s interests. The culture of celebrity has the same shroud of secrecy, power and authority, and Saville was protected from within the senior echelons of the Establishment. The state seems to be very good at arresting ‘plebs’, but not so good at arresting it's own. Follow the trail of child abuse and then follow the trail of gagging orders, bizarre acquittals and cover-ups that have happened over the years.

But as more and more victims have come forward, the evidence has become so overwhelming that it has become difficult for the government to deny it's existence. These victims have had to deal with the legacy of these crimes for decades which can include varying degrees of self-harm, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, OCD, marital breakdowns, forcefully institutionalisation, hallucinations, PTSD, sexual shame, confusion and eating disorders.

There needs to be a drive to protect minors without a voice and who cannot protect themselves and previous sex offenders should not be able to obtain jobs with unsupervised access to children. There needs to be a continuing stance of intolerance, like there has been for homophobia and racism, that forces the powers to tackle this culture of secrecy. Provisions need to be made for more visible therapy for both victims and perpetrators and whistleblowers must be encouraged to come forward without fear of losing their jobs or careers.

The loud silence must not be encouraged because the shame of covering up these crimes can be far worse than the revelations themselves when it becomes a conspiracy to willfully betray the public’s trust. All those involved or knowledgeable about it are all part of the shameful conspiracy. The government must begin a series of investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice whoever they are. Otherwise, nothing will change and it will just get swept under the carpet, again.

I'm Jide. I have an eclectic music taste and enjoy good concerts, books, films, comedy and travelling. As an avid reader, I believe I have something to contribute to the world of creative writing, and sharing my pearls of wisdom with the world.

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